Steve Brehm on Preparing For $9 Per Hour Minimum Wage Aug. 1

Minnesotans are preparing for an increase in their state’s minimum wage that is to take place Aug. 1. Last year, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed into law a new bill that raises the state’s minimum wage in three phases, Star Tribune reports. In Aug. 2014 the state increased its minimum wage to $8.00 per hour in the first phase. The second phase will increase the minimum wage to $9.00 per hour this Saturday and $9.50 per hour in Aug. 2016.

Minnesota OCS operator Steve Brehm, president of Berry Coffee Co. isn’t worried about the wage increase. In fact, he says it’s about time. “Trying to make ends meet is pretty much impossible for those working at the minimum wage level,” said Brehm. “I’m proud to say we have never posted an entry level job starting at the minimum wage here at Berry Coffee.”

Brehm states that there is no anticipated direct effect to his business as a result of this mandatory wage increase, however, there will be increased costs associated with the wage hike in most other service industries to cover labor cost.

“We can expect to see [price hikes] in all sectors of business that rely on the minimum wage work force,” said Brehm. “But I have no problem paying a little extra for products and services knowing the folks serving me are getting paid a fair wage.”

Hello,
My name is Steve Brehm, president and founder of Berry Coffee Company and I am proud to be the first to welcome you to Berry Coffee Company’s new website! If you aren’t familiar with Berry Coffee Company, we have been in business for over 35 years and very proud to say we continue to be a local family owned Minnesota business. We strive to be the premier Minneapolis office coffee provider through great products, employees, processes, and superior customer service. In the last 10 years we have experienced the most growth within the hospitality business by providing restaurants, hotels, and other food and beverage institutions with premium coffee and food products. Our latest addition of new product offerings is the “Micro Market” better known as “the healthy alternative to vending”.

This new website is more than just a new website for Berry Coffee. It signifies our commitment to taking advantage of new technology in order to be most efficient as possible which in return will keep our customers more satisfied than ever.

A few notable changes happening in 2014 include:

New website

New online ordering platform (Coming Soon)

Driver Handhelds ( Coming Soon)

Allows great customer usability and functionality

Will create orders and will have a “smart ordering platform” which will allow customers to look at past orders and invoices within their own account/login

Going paperless which will allow customers to receive both paper/paperless receipts immediately after driver delivers the product

Looking at the future we are very excited about new offerings we are bringing to our customer base!

THANK YOU for making us the largest independent coffee distributor in the State of Minnesota.

Enjoy the new website and feel free to call me at 952-937-8697 with comments and feedback.

Berry Coffee a Minneapolis Office Coffee Service wants to thank all of our customers for their loyalty to our services. We are proud to be the leading local Minnesota coffee company for businesses and institutions. YOU the customer has made that happen! Thank you for your business and thank you for buying local!

Benefits of buying local:

– Locally roasted coffee beans which allow our premium berry blends to be delivered to your business or hospitality location as fresh as can be!

– Supporting the local economy. Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms — continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community.

– Support community groups: Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.

– Create more good jobs: Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and in our community, provide the most jobs to residents.

– Put your taxes to good use: Local businesses in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.

– Encourage local prosperity: A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.

During and immediately after college, coffee held little interest for Steve Brehm, president of Berry Coffee Co. in Eden Prairie, Minn. Not being a coffee drinker, Brehm didn’t think selling coffee would be on his radar of career choices. His first job interview was with a local coffee distributor where he felt compelled to drink his first cup of coffee. He accepted the job offer and that is where his passion for the coffee service business developed and took hold – leading him to become the owner of a regional OCS company in the Midwest making more than $10 million in sales annually.

Brehm, the 2013 Readers’ Choice OCS Operator of the Year, is the type of entrepreneur who wants others to be inspired by his dreams. His management style is “participative” with a shared company vision among his staff. “Our sustained success and continued growth is directly attributed to the great team of professionals that I have surrounded myself with through the years,” Brehm said. “Passion is the cornerstone of success, and that’s the environment I’ve tried to build here at Berry Coffee.”

An unexpected career

In 1975, Brehm went to work for a regional coffee company as a driver. He also got a chance to sell the services. While he didn’t drink coffee at the time, he found that he loved the business. After a little more than a year, he was recruited by a national coffee company that offered continued education in coffee, management, sales and marketing. “If I hadn’t had an opportunity to work at these two companies, it would have taken a lot longer for me to build my operation,” said Brehm. “I was working with a team of highly trained professionals and this is where my passion for this great industry started.”

Brehm decided to become an entrepreneur in 1979 and hasn’t looked back. For nearly four decades he has built his business by being passionate about the products and services he provides and always striving to do things better, whether it’s a better computer system, equipment upgrade or product offerings. “There are just so many things happening at lightning speed within our industry…and it has grown because of that,” Brehm added.

His early coffee experience taught him to look at his business from a marketing perspective. “Building a brand was very important to me,” said Brehm. He also focused on his customers, trying to meet their needs and wants. He regularly reads trade journals and industry resources and even attends the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) OneShow.

Most importantly, he keeps an open mind. “I don’t screen my phone calls,” said Brehm. While he admits he has to deal with people selling him things he doesn’t want, it’s still an important practice. “I don’t want to miss an opportunity,” he said, whether that comes as a new product, new equipment or suggestion from a customer or staff member.

Meeting customer expectations

When Brehm first opened Berry Coffee Co., customer expectations were very different. He installed mostly pour-over brewers with some ancillary products like cream and sugar. He had 30 SKUs in his warehouse. Today, he has more than 1,000 and believes there will be more in the future. Customer expectations have even increased. “Customers know companies like ours can offer more – more product offerings and more services,” said Brehm. That has led him into paper and plasticware, cleaning supplies, multiple types of beverages, fresh fruit and pantry service, filtered water, ice machines and in the future – the micro market. “We haven’t done one yet, but have been researching the concept,” said Brehm, who believes the initial investment looks less expensive than getting into vending. He hopes to have his first micro market sold and installed by the end of 2014.

The future of OCS has never been more positive, according to Brehm. Not only is coffee a more popular drink than ever before, its health benefits are being studied and reported regularly, coffee prices are dropping and Brehm sees even more requests for single-cup coffee, including bean to cup systems.

Endless industry

“I can honestly say I have the same passion today as I did when first getting started,” Brehm said. He attributes this to the evolution of service, equipment and product offering that has shaped OCS. He added, “The number of ways to delight a customer is becoming endless!”